With Cleveland hitting their bye week, there’s no better time for some self-reflection.
The Browns’ offense has been trending all season, just not for the right reasons. The offense is ranked toward the bottom in most categories. Points per game, yards per game, yards per rush, yards per pass; the Browns are bottom three in the league in all of these statistical categories, with no signs of improvement. The seemingly eternal offensive woes can be traced to a position that the Browns have been trying to solidify since 1999: quarterback.
After Joe Flacco crashed and burned in his second stint for the Dawg Pound, the team decided to turn to rookie 3rd round pick Dillon Gabriel. The former Oregon Duck, Oklahoma Sooner, and University of Central Florida Golden Knight QB has struggled mightily since being named the starter. Throughout six games, Gabriel has completed just under 60% of his passes for 702 yards and 5 touchdowns. His aversion toward the deep ball has been a recurring theme this season, as he’s eclipsed 200 passing only once this season, that coming from a week 5 loss to Pittsburgh, where he threw the ball 52 times.
Not to be outdone by the disappointing quarterback play, the entire Cleveland receiver corps has underperformed this season. Jerry Jeudy looks to be unable to capitalize on a successful 2024 campaign in which he had 90 receptions with over 1,200 yards. He currently has 257 yards on 22 receptions; sub-par numbers for a #1 wide receiver, seven games in the season. The most troubling issue with Jeudy is the number of dropped passes. Currently, Jeudy has a drop rate of 14.8% second second-highest in the league.
On the opposite end of the Cleveland defense has played extremely well. When talking about this defense, the first name that needs to be mentioned is Myles Garrett. With his latest outing against the New England Patriots, he’s shown to not only be one of the best players in the NFL but to be arguably the greatest pass rusher of all time. He finished the 32-13 loss with five sacks, breaking his own franchise record for sacks in a single game.
Another area where the defense has excelled is against the run. So far, the Browns’ defense has allowed the third-fewest yards per carry this season. Thanks to the likes of DT Maliek Collins and promising rookies DT Mason Graham and LB Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland has held plenty of notable running backs in check recently. The Packers’ Josh Jacobs, Lions’ David Montgomery, and former NFL MVP Baltimore’s Derrick Henry have combined for 65 yards on 36 carries against the formidable Cleveland defense.
Even with how well the defense has played this year, there are two glaring issues: how they play on the road and how they play late in games.
In four home games, the Browns’ defense has given up the fewest points per game (11.0), passing yards per game (121.3), and average passer rating (64.8). When playing on the road, however, these numbers all increase significantly. In four road games, Cleveland surrendered the fifth-most points per game (30.2), the fifteenth-most passing yards per game (219.4), and the second-highest passer rating (117.5).
With the offense struggling to put up points consistently, more responsibility has been added to the defense. Oftentimes, we’ve seen Cleveland’s offensive series end in quick three-and-outs, forcing the defense back on the field without proper time to rest. This leads to the entire defensive unit being more fatigued by the later stages of the game. In away games, Cleveland gives up the fourth-most 4th quarter points per game at 10.2. Teams have been able to wear this defense down during the course of a game since the offense can’t move the ball consistently.
Strengths:
- Strong Rushing Attack
- D-Line Generates Plenty Of Sacks and Pressures
- Stiffling Run Defense
Weaknesses:
- Worst Passing Attack In League By Far
- Defense Gets Exploited In Road Games
- No Consistent Production From WRs
- Defense Wears Down Late In Games Due To No Offensive Output
To begin the season, the projected win total for Cleveland was anywhere between four to seven games; as it stands now, that might’ve been too optimistic. With the worst offense in the league and a defense that’s honestly overrated, squeezing out even two more games will be a challenge.
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